5 Hallmark Guitars You Gotta See!

Bakersfield, California, embraces Big Oil, farmers, NASCAR, Buck Owens, and all things country music.
But it’s also home to some of the most
unique guitar designs of the 20th Century. Guitar builders and conceptual
iconoclasts
Semie Moseley (Mosrite), Joe Hall (Hallmark), and Bill Gruggett (Gruggett,
Mosrite,
Hallmark) all settled in the town in the 1960s, and birthed models that
appeared
equal parts rock and roll fantasy, surrealistic reverie, roadster dream
machine, and
futuristic hallucination. Sadly, just like a country music tearjerker, the
original companies
these men founded were ultimately beaten down by bad business deals and
tragic luck before the dawn of the ’70s. (A comprehensive history of
the glories and
calamities can be found at hallmarkguitars.com.)

While Moseley continued producing guitars until his death in 1992—his
daughter
Dana currently builds Mosrites (still in
Bakersfield)—Hall’s designs pretty much
drifted off into history until Greenbelt, Maryland, luthier and collector Bob
Shade
revived the Hallmark brand in 2002 with Hall’s blessing. While Shade
is on the other
side of the country from Bakersfield, his craftsmanship proves he lives and
breathes
the Bakersfield guitar vibe.

The “reborn” Hallmarks obviously retain the
brand’s quirky design esthetic, and
while we don’t have any of the original models to compare, Shade has
definitely
ensured that the newbies are extremely well made. We didn’t notice
any glitches in
workmanship or finish. All the test models displayed very good fret work (all
include
a zero fret except the Wing-Bat), sturdy hardware, and cozy
ergonomics—although
the Swept-Wing and Wing-Bat are obviously tough ones to play while sitting
down.
Even the Shade Vibratos, which look wonky in a ’60s Italian
budget-guitar kind of
way, are very stable. We wrung the hell out of those bars, and the
vibrato-equipped
Hallmarks stayed in tune about as well as our Bigsby-loaded guitars. Moderate
bar
manipulations maintained good tuning for at least a couple of tunes, and wild
cowabunga
jerkitude required some tuning adjustments as soon as the song ended, but
did not go super sour during the song itself.

While we reviewed the mass-produced, hybrid Korea/USA assemblies here,
Shade also offers custom, individual orders that are completely made in his
Maryland
shop. But whether you dig the Hallmark look and feel, or find the designs too
radical for your taste, we’re sure you’ll agree
it’s great to have one of Guitar
Player’s
original 1967 advertisers back producing fun, wacky, well-crafted, unique, and
good-sounding
guitars. —MM

60 CUSTOM Bob Shade's rockin' roadster vibe takes a sophisticated turn with this exquisitely finished homage to a model designed
by Semie Moseley and Joe Hall in 1960.
The mirror-shined purple hue glows like something magical, and evokes the
multi-coated and
waxed paint jobs on Bentleys and custom hot rods. There are a couple of
imperfections—a midge
of overrun on the cream binding, and a couple of tiny dark spots across the
top—but nothing that
an audience or casual viewer would ever see. Everything else about the
construction is outstanding,
from the well-dressed frets to the solid hardware. Even the Hallmark tuners
feel tight and secure.

The factory setup is low—which is nice—but some
minor fret buzzes and dead spots were noted.
I played a few gigs without incident, but I’d definitely make slight
adjustments for long-term use.
Playability is, well, astounding. It’s rather shocking—in a
good way—how easy it is to work all the
controls. For example, I initially worried about the vibrato, as it appeared to
be more of an art piece
than a tool. But this is one of the sexiest vibratos I’ve ever used.
Its hair-trigger response transforms
even subtle manipulations into sensual warbles. The bar can handle violent
treatment, as well, but
the ability to caress it towards almost carnal auditory spasms is what makes
this vibrato system
so compelling. But that’s not all. Every control is positioned to
“collaborate” with the vibrato bar to
craft truly ear-catching parts. The Volume knob is not only within easy reach
for doing volume swells
with your pinky, you can also easily perform simultaneous swells and vibrato
moves. A bit harder but doable, is combining Tone knob tweaks with vibrato-arm
tugs for vibra-wah effects.
I was even able to pair up pickup-selector switching with vibrato action for
undulations
that shifted from bright and sting-y to lush and warm.

Ergonomic controls, and their contribution to tone crafting, would
mean little if the 60
Custom sounded timid, bland, or just plain crappy. But this is a sonically
flexible machine
that offers a wide tonal range between its two single-coil pickups. The neck
position
delivers meaty and resonant lows along with a midrange snap that keeps note
definition
clear and bell-like. Switch to the bridge pickup, and the sound is tight,
bright, and aggressive
without being shrill. Interestingly, the combined position isn’t
precisely a blend of the
two pickup sounds—it’s almost its own unique timbre. You
get stout but not booming
bass, hollow mids with a touch of clang, and a smooth treble. I viewed the
three distinct
tones as Duane Eddy (neck), Be Bop Deluxe-era Bill Nelson (combined), and San
Francisco
psychedelia (bridge)—a pretty brilliant mix of foundational sounds
that can handle
almost any style of music, or grace just about any performance technique.
It’s remarkable
how much Moseley and Hall got right at the dawn of the ’60s electric
guitar boom.
Shade’s tweaks take that inspiration and modernize it, without
sacrificing one molecule
of the original model’s eccentric vibe. Quite an achievement.
—MM

JOHNNY RAMONE SIGNATURE I play in an all-girl Ramones tribute band called the Hormones, so it was exciting to open the impressive, hardshell alligator case with a
Johnny Ramone Eagle logo
for the first time. There’s no argument that, while not an exact
copy, the Hallmark tribute looks
enough like Johnny’s original, mid-’60s Mosrite Ventures II
model to impress our audiences. And,
unlike some other JR replicas that came with expensive un-punk price points,
this one is something
the working guitarist can afford. I was pretty anxious to hit the stage with
it.

With it’s light body, thin frets, flat fretboard, and low
action, the JR Signature immediately invites
downstrokes, speed, aggression, and snarl—all
“hallmarks” of the Johnny style. It was easy and
comfortable
to hammer out fast-moving power chords, and open chords rang true and in tune.
This guitar
is an excellent rhythm machine that can handle aggressive attacks and all
manner of mayhem. I
found the playability less successful for soloing—bends tend to feel
a bit slippery, and it was easy to
pull the high-E and low-E strings off
the neck—but if you love and respect Johnny Ramone enough
to buy this model, you’re probably not channeling Yngwie Malmsteen or
Eric Johnson.

The out-of-the-box setup was good—although intonation was
ever-so-slightly off beyond the
7th fret—and the low action produced no discernible fret buzz. My
only immediate issue was the
very small fret-position markers on the top edge of the neck. While it was no
problem seeing them
in a well-lighted room, on a dark stage they kind of
disappeared—which made me a bit nervous until I got used to the neck.
The Volume and Tone knobs are easily accessible below the
bridge, but, for me, the 3-way pickup selector was a bit inconveniently
positioned beneath
the neck pickup. While evoking the Johnny Ramone style for my band, one of my
favorite
features became the guitar’s brass roller bridge. Why? The saddles
are rounded and
smooth, which allowed me to palm mute comfortably during super-fast
downstrokes.
Sometimes, it’s those little things that really make a guitar a joy
to play.

Of course, the big question is whether the JR Signature can actually
deliver Johnny’s
signature tone. It can. Even though I don’t replicate
Johnny’s rig—I play through a Peavey
XXL amp and Marshall 1960 cabinet with no pedals in the signal
chain—the sound of
the bridge pickup is very aggressive and it easily delivers that recognizable
in-your-face
Ramones-style assault. The neck pickup tone is great, as well, adding depth and
warmth
to the equation while still sounding hot and punky. I actually would have
preferred to use
the neck pickup more because I like a fuller tone, but the requirements of the
band sound
kept me chained to the bridge pickup.

The Johnny Ramone Signature obviously exists pretty much solely for
fans of early
Mosrites and/or followers of the Ramones, and it doesn’t disappoint
on either front. If you
dig the glorious buzz-saw blitzkrieg of the late Johnny Ramone, this is the one
for you. —LM

STRADETTE The Stradette was originally designed by Bill Gruggett while he was working at Hallmark Guitars in 1966, and it’s still a stunning
and funky design—something akin
to a souped-up violin played by Satan, or a deconstructed Hofner
“Beatle bass.” It tends to strike
people as either just plain ugly, or quirky and vibey in a retro Eastern Bloc
European kind of way. But
once I took the Stradette for a test drive, I could only see its beauty.
Despite its shape, the Stradette
is extremely playable and balanced. I found the slim neck to be comfortable and
fast, although its
slender width may make fingering first-position chords a tad challenging for
those with stubby digits.
I was pleasantly surprised how smooth and easy it was to work the vibrato.
Admittedly, part of the
reason for the surprise is that I’ve never been a fan of these
systems due to tuning issues, but I didn’t
have a problem at all with the Stradette’s
“Shade” vibrato. In fact, I enjoyed adding a bit of
“wobble”
to chords, and tuning remained steady and consistent unless I really yanked the
bar.

The guitar is extremely well constructed. The only head-scratcher was
the bizarre, fin-like pickguard
affixed with three screws along its top edge. The plastic tortoise-shell
simulation looks rather
cheap against the magnificent sunburst. Shade was obviously copying the
original design, so no foul
there, but I would have applauded an amendment here.

Acoustically, this semi-hollow guitar is only slightly louder than a
solidbody, but there
is a hint of added air and resonance. While layering guitars in the studio, I
miked-up the
unplugged Stradette with a large-diaphragm condenser and captured some steely
tones
that added chime-y textures under a barrage of distorted electrics. Onstage,
the guitar’s
solid center block definitely helps rein in feedback when playing at high
volumes, and if you
actually want feedback, the results are typically very musical. Plugged into my
Peavey XXL
head and Marshall cabinet, the Stradette delivered warm, beefy tones with the
neck pickup
engaged, and a thin, shimmer-y sound that’s bright without being
harsh when I went to the
bridge pickup. Sonically, this is a versatile guitar, and the tones hold up
whether you’re rocking
clean or going for saturated overdrive. String-to-string articulation is
excellent, with only
a bit of muddiness evident when using distorted sounds along with the
neck-pickup tone.

I found that I was continually drawn to this guitar, and I ended up
using it a lot. It looks
cool—to me, at least—plays great, and delivers a nice
selection of different sounds. It’s definitely
a winner for anyone playing classic rock, blues, rockabilly or psychobilly, pop
rock,
or perhaps even country. —LM

VINTAGE SERIES SWEPT-WING It's hard to know whether designer Joe Hall and Bob Bogle of the Ventures—the men responsible for the
late-’60s Swept-Wing model—were thinking of jets, the
Jetsons,
or rafting oars when they conceived this electrified wood paddle. Bogle claimed
he had taken a
survey of Los Angeles guitarists to determine the types of new body shapes they
wanted. Given the result,
one could assume some form of mind-altering substances snuck into
Bogle’s focus group! The Swept-
Wing is certainly one of the oddest body shapes you’ll come
across—though it probably looked right at
home next to a Vox Phantom or an Eko 700 on early-’60s rock and roll
stages. As with the other vintage
marvels in the Hallmark line, Bob Shade has updated and refined the Swept-Wing
far beyond the glorious,
but sometimes too-quirky-to-be-truly-playable stature of a nostalgia
piece.

Although it may look wonky, the Swept-Wing matches the first-rate
construction quality of its Hallmark
stable mates. I found no flaws in the silver-sparkle finish, or with the
hardware, frets, and pickguard.
The Volume and Tone knobs are positioned a bit further back from the bridge
than the 60 Custom,
making pinky manipulations more challenging on this model. The other ergonomic
hitch is that the
Swept-Wing’s shape isn’t really designed for playing while
sitting down. It’s not an impossible—nor a particularly
uncomfortable—chore, but slippage will occur unless you’re
wearing rubber pants with a suregrip
surface. While standing up and strapped in, the Swept-Wing is a joy to play.
Access to high frets is
completely unhindered, and the slim neck is tailor-made for meaty riffs, slick
chords, and swift solos.

Like the 60 Custom, the Swept-Wing serves up a good helping of
distinct tones.
But whether it’s the body shape, or the different single-coils
(High-Fidelity 67s on the
’Wing, as opposed to 60 Customs on the 60), or most likely a
combination of the two,
the Swept-Wing sounds more surf-y overall than the rock-oriented 60 Custom.
It’s a
feel thing, for sure, but when compared to the 60 Custom, the bass on the
Swept-Wing
is slightly rounder, the midrange has more twang than snap, and the highs
impart an
airy shimmer, rather than a dry, clear brightness. The articulate tones seem to
adore
being washed in reverb, and you rain down a storm of wet wildness without
losing
impact, attack, or note definition. And that marvelous Shade vibrato will
definitely
tempt you to vibrate and undulate and sex-ify your melodies.

Bob Bogle (1934-2009) obviously knew a thing or two about instrumental
rock,
and the design of the Swept-Wing that he and Joe Hall devised in the
’60s is a near-perfect
foundation for “singing with your guitar.” It looks like an
instrument that should
be slung loud and proud in a surf band, and its tones can propel
single-note lines out
of the most raucous band mix. Small wonder that the Swept-Wing was the model
that first inspired Shade to revitalize the Hallmark brand. It’s one
unique and spectacular
guitar. —MM

WING-BAT This striking Bob Shade-designed superhero might just be one of
the ultimate Mac Daddys of guitar art. It triggers wide-eyed,
“wow-inducing” moments from
practically everyone who sees it—even if the viewer with mouth agape
in wonder is too young to
have experienced the POW!, BONK!, and WHAM! of the mid-’60s
Batman series, has never seen
the Batmobile, and has zero knowledge of Batmobile designer George Barris. As a
stand-alone,
goth-like icon of darkness, the Wing-Bat is simply one tremendously awesome-looking
guitar.

However, for those with some ’60s pop-culture
perspective—and if you ran around your yard
as a kid wearing a blanket as a cape and your dad’s army belt stuffed
with pretend bat weapons,
then you know who you are—the Wing-Bat is Shade’s homage to
the Batmobile and the work
of George Barris, and he was fortunate enough to have Barris himself endorse
the guitar. From
the scalloped wings (inspiired by the original Hallmark Swept-Wing) to the
pinstriping and turbine
switch (more on this later), Shade was taking no chances that Bat-fanatics
would be disappointed
with the Wing-Bat. This is definitely a “sweat the details”
custom job, as well as an
obvious labor of love.

It’s also a playable work of art. Like
television’s dynamic duo of Adam West as Batman and
Burt Ward as Robin, the Wing-Bat is built for action—it’s
not meant for a safe retirement hanging
on the wall of the Bat Cave. The neck, frets, and hardware are superbly
rendered. You do need to
take care with the somewhat fragile bottom wings. To reduce cartage bulk (and
to conserve the classy alligator hardshell case), I carried the Wing-Bat to
shows in a well-padded gig
bag. It didn’t prevent the wing tips from getting roughed up a bit.
Carefully placing the
instrument in an onstage guitar stand only caused further injury when the
Wing-Bat was
removed and replaced throughout a set. If you want your Wing-Bat to remain as
pristine
as possible, I recommend keeping it in its hardshell case at all times (even
when
you’re on stage—just take the time to walk over and open
the lid).

Tonally, the Wing-Bat is pretty much a one-trick flying mammal, but
its singular sonic
assault is a thing of aggro splendor (KAPOW! BIFF! KRUNCH!). The midrange
attack is
steely with an articulate punch (kind of like an EQ tweak of +6dB at 4kHz), but
there’s
enough subtle bass content to keep the tone from being excessively shrill, as
well as
enough chime to ensure the sound isn’t starkly clangorous. Make no
mistake, this guitar
can fight its way out of the densest mix. During a recent gig, my co-guitarist
and I were
both playing through Vox AC30s, and the Wing-Bat just trounced his ass. It was
like my
sound was zooming into the audience on the Batcycle, while his tone was
chugging off
in an overloaded diesel van. He gets a great sound—it’s
simply that the Wing-Bat is a
dynamo. I also had the advantage of the Wing-Bat’s Turbine switch
that turns on an
array of bright-red LEDs mounted in the “exhaust.” That
trick brought the house down.
Don’t mess with Batman! —MM